Sen. Josh Hawley speaks at an event touting the passage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in St. Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., is pictured just behind Hawley to his left. (Fox News (Anders Hagstrom))
Also at the event was Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., who voted against the OBBB, but said he supports the RECA legislation. Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren also attended the event and recounted the impact of nuclear testing on his community.
The bill applies to sites across the country where Americans, civilian, military and members of the Navajo Nation, were exposed to radiation due to nuclear weapons testing and the storing of nuclear waste.
The event took place at one such site: St. Cin Park in St. Louis. The surrounding area has been determined to be a cancer hotzone thanks to the storing of nuclear waste nearby.
The legislation applies to similar sites across Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alaska, but advocates of the bill and Hawley himself say there remains more work to be done.
"This is a great first step, but there is definitely more to do," NAACP St. Louis president John Bowman told Fox at the event. "This is a good day, but there are better days to come."
WHAT'S ACTUALLY IN TRUMP'S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL'
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., points to President Donald Trump after he signed the Big, Beautiful Bill on July 4 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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She recounted seeing staffers from opposite sides of the aisle celebrating and sharing high-fives after the bill was passed. The bill passed through the Senate three times in recent years before finally making it to the president's desk.
"The system still works. It does," she said. "The media just often doesn't share it."
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hawley-touts-provision-big-beautiful-bill-hard-left-democrats-celebrating